Latest news with #JulesRadich
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Mayor criticised for undermining staff
Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich has been slammed for undermining staff after suggesting the council has an anti-carpark "agenda". During yesterday's infrastructure services committee meeting, Mr Radich raised concerns from stakeholders who wanted more consultation on the council's Albany Street Connection, a project aiming to provide a safe walking and cycling connection between the harbour path Te Aka Ōtākou and Dunedin's tertiary area and CBD. "I've been contacted by business owners on that street and they were under the expectation there was going to be some additional consultation with them about the parking and the set-up for the road," Mr Radich said during discussion on the council's forward work programme. "They're certainly not of the opinion that they've had that. "It does suggest that there might be some other agenda, other than optimisation of that street." Mr Radich rephrased his statement after a point of order from infrastructure chairman Cr Jim O'Malley, who took issue with the mayor's assertion staff had an "agenda". When it was upheld by deputy chairman Brent Weatherall, Mr Radich said there was "another 'imperative', another 'raison d'etre' for the project that does not include or does not take into due consideration the key stakeholders of the area". Council papers showed construction was expected to start in November and be completed by May next year. But Mr Radich said the procurement process, due to begin in July, should be halted until the parking committee had reviewed and approved a revised plan, "subject to consultation with the business and property owners". Mr Radich later told the Otago Daily Times he was not suggesting council staff had an agenda. "I wasn't attributing that to anyone in particular, although the project is a hangover from the previous council. "It might be governed by different imperatives than the benefit of the key users of the street." He was unable to clarify who might be driving the "different imperatives". "If you've got divisiveness amongst the key stakeholders of a project, then surely it's better to get them on the same page, to modify the project accordingly so that everyone can have agreement about how it should end up." When asked, Mr Radich said it was business owners Jason La Hood and Greg Paterson who had contacted him with their concerns. Climate and city growth general manager Scott MacLean said there had been a lot of consultation with affected parties — "they've had a lot of input into the final design, and my understanding is that they were happy with that." Cr Lee Vandervis said while councillors had seen initial plans, he was concerned they had not seen the final design. "I feel that [the project] has been pushed through this council, and now pushed through with changes yet to be ratified." Cr Vandervis said he was concerned the project was going ahead without a chance for elected officials to comment on it. "To find that it is now, with all haste, going to contract and to be done, I find that unusual, and it makes me uncomfortable." Cr Steve Walker said the discussion was "getting close" to being the most extraordinary thing he had seen at the council table and the suggestion consultation had been underdone was a "kick in the guts" to staff. "It is interesting that both the mayor and the other councillors never bring up these concerns when it's a consultation that fits their agenda," he said. Cr Christine Garey said councillors had been assured a thorough consultation process had been held by staff with expertise. "To then cherry-pick, which is how I see it, because there are some folk who don't agree with where it's landed — it's cutting our staff off at the knees, and I don't accept that that is an acceptable way for governors to behave." Cr Sophie Barker said she would like to see the plan but there had been ample opportunity for consultation. Cr Carmen Houlahan said there was "a lot of waffle and not a lot of point to the issues being raised". There had "obviously" been extensive consultation, she said.
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Competing Otago Port proposals 'frustrating', says Associate Regional Development Minister
The Associate Regional Development Minister says local leaders should have created a coordinated regional plan. Photo: 123RF Clutha's mayor says newly announced funding for an inland port proposal came out of the blue, despite his efforts to be transparent about a similar project just down the road. Calder Stewart debuted plans to develop a privately-funded inland port in Milburn just days before the government announced a multi-million dollar loan to develop a rail connection between Port Chalmers and a proposed Southern Link Logistics Park in Mosgiel last week. The Associate Regional Development Minister said local leaders should have created a coordinated regional plan instead of having two nearby competing inland port proposals - Mosgiel and Milburn are less than 50 kilometres away from each other. Dunedin mayor Jules Radich said he had repeatedly discussed the Mosgiel plan when Clutha's mayor was present. But Clutha district mayor Bryan Cadogan said he was caught off guard by Friday's Port Otago funding announcement, which was frustrating as his district had been upfront and transparent about the Milburn proposal. Photo: Supplied by Calder Stewart The Calder Stewart proposal was the district's "once in a lifetime project" and had been in the pipeline for at least a decade. Local leaders including Dunedin's mayor had discussed the project last year, he said. The Regional Development Minister hadn't been briefed about the Milburn proposal which could have impacted the government's funding decision as it didn't have the whole picture for the region, he said. Cadogan didn't have any issue with the Port Otago project and didn't believe Calder Stewart intended to seek government funding, instead he was concerned that those local leaders didn't disclose a competing proposal despite his efforts to keep them informed. He wanted the South to start working in unison. "If there is a conflict like this, just be transparent. If I put my cards on the table, could you put cards on the table the same way," Cadogan said Dunedin mayor Jules Radich agreed that it was important for regions to work together, but said he had talked about the Port Otago-Mosgiel plan repeatedly in the Clutha mayor's presence including at the Otago mayoral forum in Queenstown last year. "I asked for government support of a heavy traffic bypass for Mosgiel to complement the project," Radich said. "I also think the Mosgiel logistics hub would be a great asset to the meatworks in Balclutha and Ōamaru." The up to $8.2 million loan for the Port Otago rail connection was earmarked from the Regional Infrastructure Fund, which is run by the government's Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit, Kānoa. Associate Regional Development Minister and local List MP Mark Patterson said only one project was formally proposed to the government in the end. It was frustrating there were two competing proposals when they could have worked together to create a cohesive proposal, he said. He described collaboration in the regions as "absolutely critical", and said the government was expecting that regions would coalesce around an agreed set of projects and priorities. The Port Otago option also had backing from Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms and KiwiRail so they were confident in their processes and in making the investment, he said. He believed they could be complementary projects, and said last week's funding announcement wouldn't prevent Calder Stewart from making a funding application in the future if it chose to. The Regional Development Minister has been contacted for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Competing Otago Port proposals 'frustrating', Minister says
The Associate Regional Development Minister says local leaders should have created a coordinated regional plan. Photo: 123RF Clutha's mayor says newly announced funding for an inland port proposal came out of the blue, despite his efforts to be transparent about a similar project just down the road. Calder Stewart debuted plans to develop a privately-funded inland port in Milburn just days before the government announced a multi-million dollar loan to develop a rail connection between Port Chalmers and a proposed Southern Link Logistics Park in Mosgiel last week. The Associate Regional Development Minister said local leaders should have created a coordinated regional plan instead of having two nearby competing inland port proposals - Mosgiel and Milburn are less than 50 kilometres away from each other. Dunedin mayor Jules Radich said he had repeatedly discussed the Mosgiel plan when Clutha's mayor was present. But Clutha district mayor Bryan Cadogan said he was caught off guard by Friday's Port Otago funding announcement, which was frustrating as his district had been upfront and transparent about the Milburn proposal. Photo: Supplied by Calder Stewart The Calder Stewart proposal was the district's "once in a lifetime project" and had been in the pipeline for at least a decade. Local leaders including Dunedin's mayor had discussed the project last year, he said. The Regional Development Minister hadn't been briefed about the Milburn proposal which could have impacted the government's funding decision as it didn't have the whole picture for the region, he said. Cadogan didn't have any issue with the Port Otago project and didn't believe Calder Stewart intended to seek government funding, instead he was concerned that those local leaders didn't disclose a competing proposal despite his efforts to keep them informed. He wanted the South to start working in unison. "If there is a conflict like this, just be transparent. If I put my cards on the table, could you put cards on the table the same way," Cadogan said Dunedin mayor Jules Radich agreed that it was important for regions to work together, but said he had talked about the Port Otago-Mosgiel plan repeatedly in the Clutha mayor's presence including at the Otago mayoral forum in Queenstown last year. "I asked for government support of a heavy traffic bypass for Mosgiel to complement the project," Radich said. "I also think the Mosgiel logistics hub would be a great asset to the meatworks in Balclutha and Ōamaru." The up to $8.2 million loan for the Port Otago rail connection was earmarked from the Regional Infrastructure Fund, which is run by the government's Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit, Kānoa. Associate Regional Development Minister and local List MP Mark Patterson said only one project was formally proposed to the government in the end. It was frustrating there were two competing proposals when they could have worked together to create a cohesive proposal, he said. He described collaboration in the regions as "absolutely critical", and said the government was expecting that regions would coalesce around an agreed set of projects and priorities. The Port Otago option also had backing from Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms and KiwiRail so they were confident in their processes and in making the investment, he said. He believed they could be complementary projects, and said last week's funding announcement wouldn't prevent Calder Stewart from making a funding application in the future if it chose to. The Regional Development Minister has been contacted for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Dunedin homeless camp: 'Clearly not safe or healthy conditions'
The homeless camp at The Oval in central Dunedin. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton Conditions at a Dunedin homeless camp where a fire tore through tents are unsafe, the Ministry of Housing says. Paramedics treated one person with minor injuries after the blaze broke out at The Oval near Ardmore Drive on Friday, but Dunedin mayor Jules Radich said it was lucky no-one was seriously injured or killed. Ministry of Housing and Urban Development southern regional director Sue Rissman said they were very concerned about the fire. "These are clearly not safe or healthy conditions to live in," she said. She urged anyone sleeping rough to contact ministry staff for support, but noted people had the right to choose whether they asked for help. "Emergency housing is a last resort. If someone who applies is eligible for a different and more suitable type of support, we will provide that instead," she said. "If they have another housing option available, we expect them to take it." Most people who applied for emergency housing received some form of support like a supplement, grants, or a place with a transitional housing provider, she said. She said the ministry was regularly speaking to the council and other government agencies about the Dunedin homeless camp. The fire that broke out at the camp. Photo: Supplied On Friday, Radich called for government funding to help tackle homelessness in the city. "Winter is coming and with it the cold temperatures that will only make a bad situation worse for our homeless community," he said. He had previously proposed using the vacant Aaron Lodge site - owned by Kāinga Ora - as an accommodation hub. "Regrettably that proposal has not been supported by government agencies," he said. "In the absence of wrap-around government action, various local social service organisations have been left to do what they can, working alongside the Dunedin City Council and other partners, to offer support for our homeless community. "The real solution here is government funding for suitable facilities that enable appropriate support services to meet a variety of needs, like we envisaged at Aaron Lodge. "The local social agencies are ready to step up, but we need a site and we need government support." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Homeless man's hopes crushed
A homeless man says it is "hard to feel hope" after his makeshift shack burned down at the Oval in a cooking fire. City leaders said the fire, and the plight of other people living in tents at the Oval, was symptomatic of a desperate shortage of government funding for housing and wrap-around support for the city's homeless. Fire crews responded at 7.45am yesterday and found the shack and several tents on fire at the edge of the sports field. After a fire tore through tents in the Oval yesterday, the remains of a shelter and a makeshift flue. Photo: Peter McIntosh The man said he had "no confidence" he would now get a home or the support he needed. Without a home, he said he had "no way forward" and it was "hard to feel hope". He had built the shack at the Oval a few weeks ago after previously living in a boarding house that had been sold. Support he had received from one charity was inadequate for his needs, he said. Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich and Labour MP Ingrid Leary went to the scene of the fire. A fire roars in the makeshift shelter. Photo: Brett Dixon Mr Radich said it was regrettable that his previous plan to turn the abandoned Aaron Lodge holiday park — owned by Kāinga Ora — into temporary housing with support had not been given central government funding. "The local social agencies are ready to step up, but we need a site and we need government support. He was "extremely relieved" no-one had died in the fire, but it should "put the government on notice that action is needed. Winter is coming, and with it the cold temperatures that will only make a bad situation worse". Ms Leary said the city was "desperately short" of housing and help for homeless people, particularly those with serious addictions and mental illness. A cat peers over the charred remains. Photo: Peter McIntosh "Bigger cities have comprehensive services and we have nothing of that kind. It is a travesty people are living in tents and shacks in sub-zero temperatures and high winds and expected to survive the winter while also being under pressure to get employment when they are nowhere near ready to do that because they don't have wrap-around support." She said the dramatic drop in emergency housing grants in Dunedin — the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) has approved just 18 grants for short stays in emergency accommodation over the six months from October to March 2025 compared with 147 for the same period a year ago — was "reflective of the seriously mean approach of this government, which is completely out of touch with the realities of struggling New Zealanders". Dunedin Night Shelter manager David McIntyre said the shelter knew that five people had been sleeping at the Oval, including people with alcohol and drug addictions, and added his call for more expert, residential care. "There needs to be specialist and urgent care for people with addictions particularly," he said. Charities were working together, but within a "restricted funding environment". The white shelter made from pallets and other items that burnt down. Photo: Stephen Jaquiery Methodist Mission director Laura Black said the biggest need was social service funding to help people stabilise, gain skills to live independently and have conditions such as mental illness and addiction diagnosed and treated appropriately. "It's easy enough to solve the temporary roof problem; build more. But if we ignore the other transitional needs, then we will see these kinds of near and actual disasters occur. Social services can't do work we're not paid for." MSD regional director Sue Rissman said the government department was "very concerned" about the fire and emergency housing was a "last resort". People sleeping rough were urged to contact MSD.
